Dansk Glødelampefabrik A/S part of Danish Cultural Heritage

Danlamp’s Factory Plant in Aabenraa has been nominated as part of Danish Heritage by The Heritage Agency of Denmark. The Factory is worthy of preservation due to its architectural and historic significance.
The Heritage Agency of Denmark considers the history of the industrial society an important part of the Danish Cultural Heritage and a strategic resource in the future development. Hence The Agency strives to increase the awareness of the Industrial Society and secure that a representative selection of industries and industrial landscapes are examined and preserved. This encompasses the history, institutions, cultures, buildings and landscapes of the Industrial Society.

The Agency’s motivation for the nomination

The Light Bulb factory is situated in a former tannery in the center of Aabenraa. In 1865 Peter Tondering built new buildings for his tannery and the following year he built a new front building. Little by little the handicraft company was industrialized introducing new techniques and increasing production. This raised the need for more space and in 1897-90 a new factory complex was erected as a back building to the old artisan company.

In 1907 the company was taken oven by the leatherwear manufacturer Mahler from Flensburg that expanded the factory complex considerably in 1912. After the reunion with Southern Denmark after World War 1 in 1920 the company experienced great financial trouble and by 1931 it had to close.
The same year Dansk Glødelampefabrik took over the factory. The company that would later change its name to Glødelampefabrikken Dan manufactures special lamps for shipping lanterns and traffic signals amongst others. The production is to a high degree based on handicraft and is still performed in the old buildings.

Buildings and Plant.

The angular factory plant is situated as the back and side building to the court of Nygade 12. The 3-story building is erected in brick and presents itself in white paint with the company name Dansk Glødelampefabrik A-S painted on the front. The closely spaced windows that would provide daylight for the work are rectangular with bars. The lower floor windows are bigger than the upper. The roof is covered with roofing felt. Below the roof overhang venting hatches testify the factories former use as tannery.

Evaluation.

The Light Bulb factory is the last in Denmark. The factory is a piece of industrial history in itself with a niche production that is largely performed in the original setting. The buildings are well preserved and testify the development from handicraft farm to industrial company in the side streets of the old market towns. The factory is part of a complete setting which includes the nearby working class housing in Lavgade.